Heart and soul

Although you may only visit a holiday house a few times a year, you still want to be able to walk in and immediately feel at home.

The owners of this house in Queenstown's Millbrook Resort wanted a holiday home that exuded open space, character and warmth. The kitchen had to be a central place where family could gather and take part in the preparation and sharing of food and wine.

Designer Haden Emslie says the owners also requested locally-sourced materials, and fixtures and fittings that would add aesthetic value.

"It's quite eclectic. There is recycled jarrah, and kwila, both rough-sawn and dressed, plus textured and smooth plaster, blue quarry stone, and New Zealand Oregon wall claddings, rafters and beams."

As you walk along the entrance way to the kitchen, square portholes in the wall offer glimpses of the backlit stone wine cellar.

The 300-bottle cellar has 50cm-thick stone walls. It includes a plinth with a wine opener on the top, and steel racks that allow the bottles to lie horizontally with their labels facing outwards.

The focal point of the kitchen is a long island made from kwila and stone with a granite benchtop. It includes kwila cabinetry with forged steel handles, twin sinks and a teppanyaki cooking plate.

"This is the centrepoint of the house and has been designed for people to pull up a seat and gather around. The owners wanted space for at least three people to work one at the teppanyaki cooking plate, another at the stove and a third person preparing drinks," says Emslie.

The island also features built-in storage at either end for pots, pans and cutlery.

The kwila kitchen cabinetry is framed by New Zealand Oregon beams, which doubles as shelving for artefacts. Storage space was maximised by using concealed pull-outs and deep pull-out drawers.

The stove is surrounded by a stone splashback which, together with the overhead beams, maintains a symmetry with the living room fireplace 18m away.

A variety of tiles highlight the floor in the kitchen and dining area, which is broken into seven different modules using hardwood inserts.

A 7.5m-high vaulted ceiling is also a feature of the dining area, and forms a bridge over the dining table, its exposed beams and rafters similar to those in the kitchen.

Story by: Trendsideas